Plant new shrubs, watering them well until they are established.
Evergreens can be planted almost all year but keep them moist at the roots.
If you restrict lilac to a single trunk, you should get a good show of flowers.
Mulch them at the base with lawn cuttings, to restrict suckers. Carry out
light pruning of shrubs as they finish flowering, removing dead flower heads
and weak shoots. Clip bay trees into shape now.

Self-seeding sycamore and other small trees will probably
be driving you mad by now. Pull these out while there are still only two leaves
- once past this point they become harder to remove and you'll need a trowel.
Divide or thin overgrown bamboo clumps. You can cut out the older canes and
take some of the smaller leaves off the canes, to open the clump up. Layer
clematis shoots in pots, pinning them to the surface. Leave for up to a year
when rooted, before separating from the main plant. Softwood cuttings of shrubs
such as cotoneaster and pyracanthus can be taken now. Make a straight cut
below a joint and place the cuttings in sandy soil in an open cold frame.
Water during dry weather and when rooted, pot on into 3in. pots, which should
be left in the cold frame over winter. Take heel cuttings of magnolia and
place in cold frame for at least a year. Deciduous shrubs which have finished
flowering can be pruned to encourage new growth for next year. Brooms should
be cut back hard once they have finished flowering, taking care not to cut
into the woody stems. Laburnum seeds are poisonous to pond fish and flower
heads should be cut back as soon as they have finished flowering.

July

Passion flowers and wisteria shoots can be layered in the
open soil and potted on when good root systems have formed. They can be grown
on in pots for a year and planted out in spring to their final positions.
Buddleia cuttings can be planted in a cold frame to root as can a range of
other shrubs such as cistus, clematis, cotoneaster, mahonia, euonymus, spirea
and viburnum. Established wisteria should be pruned after the flowers have
faded. To encourage lateral spurs which produce flowers, you need to spur-prune
the young shoots. Cut laterals and side-shoots to 6in. of main stems, cutting
above a bud. This should leave 5-6 buds. Keep tying in the new lateral growth,
horizontally.

August

This is the peak season for taking cuttings of many shrubs.
Six inch cuttings should be taken from this year’s growth and pushed
singly into pots of good compost and given the protection of a cold frame
which should be kept open as often as possible but closed when the weather
is cold or windy. The cuttings will root quite readily over winter and be
ready for planting out into their flowering positions in late spring the following
year. Suitable plants are: Buddleia, Fuchsia, Ilex, Hebe, Pieris and many
others – if in doubt give it a go what have you got to loose?

Prepare the ground for new shrubs, digging in plenty of
compost or manure. Towards the end of the month, evergreens can be planted,
preferably when rain is forecast. Stake as necessary and keep well watered
in dry weather. Spraying the foliage will help evergreens to retain their
leaves. Hardwood and half-ripe cuttings can be taken from shrubs such as berberis,
pyracanthus and potentilla. Take 9in. cuttings with a heel and place in sandy
soil in a cold frame, watering them well. Hardy cuttings can be planted out
in Spring, with others left in the cold frame until May or June when risk
of frost has passed.

October

Towards the end of the month plant new trees and shrubs
- it is best to wait for calm weather and for a time when it is not too cold
and the ground is not waterlogged. It is essential that tall trees and shrubs
are well staked to avoid the plant being rocked in the wind which has the
effect of breaking off any new root growth and will probably lead to the plant
dying. This is also the best time of year to take cuttings from almost any
of your shrubs - take cuttings of this year's growth between six and twelve
inches, dip the cut end in a rooting compound and plunge the cutting up to
half its length in potting compost and sit it in the cold frame. Open the
cold frame in mild weather and make sure the compost is kept damp but not
too wet. By late spring next year the cuttings should be well rooted and new
growth starting. Grow on in the pots until late summer when they can be planted
out into their final positions.

November

Trees and shrubs can still be planted if the weather remains
good. Tender plants will benefit from a windbreak screen which you could make
out of stout polythene. Fleece may be necessary to protect from frosts. Hardwood
cuttings of ivy, elaeagnus and willow can be taken and inserted into the ground
or cold frame. They will be ready for transplanting in Spring. Heel cuttings
of winter jasmine can be taken and inserted in a cold frame.

If the weather is favourable you can still plant deciduous
trees and shrubs. Remember that to avoid wind damage which will weaken the
roots you need to firm the soil around the base of the trees or plants. After
heavy frost, check the base of the plants and firm in the soil where necessary.
Collect fallen leaves for the compost bin - leaf-mould is invaluable in Spring.
Hydrangeas and fuchsias in tubs should be brought into the greenhouse unless
you live in a mild area.

January

New plants which cannot be planted due to frozen ground
can be stored in a frost free shed with some protection provided to the roots
- don't forget they're in there! Ginkgo biloba and Zelkova are well worth
growing from seed and these can be sown under glass or in a propagator. Prune
dead and diseased tree and shrub branches. Wisteria should be cut back to
within 3 inches of the old wood unless you want to increase the size of the
plant.

February

Deciduous trees and shrubs can continue to be planted as
the weather and soil conditions permit. Look for any sign of movement of newly
planted trees and shrubs due to the wind and tread them in again firmly. Think
about pruning trees to give a good open shape in the middle by pruning out
inward growing branches.

Trees, shrubs and climbers should be planted out in good
weather, top-dressing with manure or compost. Plants such as amelanchier and
syringa can be propagated by layering. Sink a pot near the parent plant and
gently peg a shoot into the top of the pot. Once it has shown signs of growing,
sever it from the parent plant. Prune any damaged shrubs, removing dead or
damaged wood. Thin old wood from berberis and hedera. Fuchsia and lavatera
need to be cut back to live wood. Honeysuckle should be pruned lightly once
it has finished flowering. Seeds of trees and shrubs can be sown in cold frames
or a cold greenhouse. Prick them out into pots and keep in a cold frame until
the autumn if possible. Water them well in dry weather.

April

Evergreen shrubs can be planted during showery weather.
Pot-grown wall shrubs should also be planted. If the weather is dry, water
newly-planted trees and shrubs. Mulch with lawn mowings or compost. Layer
shoots of Hydrangea in a pot of peaty soil, pegging a shoot down. Once rooted,
sever from the parent plant. Prune trees and shrubs once they have finished
flowering. Forsythia can be cut back to within two buds of the old growth;
any stems which have rooted themselves can be severed and replanted. Prune
Buddleia and Hydrangea hard as these flower on the growth of the current season.
Prune straggly lavender and Magnolia and remove any weak shoots on other trees
and shrubs.

Gardening information hints and tips on how to get the
best from the trees and shrubs in your garden including pruning, mulching,
propagation and general care advice.